Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Korea North and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1965 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Eric Dolphy to the funk kids.
I played it at Trash.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Tubeway Army. All the underground hits.
All The Sonics tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Au Pairs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Velvet Underground record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Modern Lovers,
The Vogues,
Skriet,
China Crisis,
The Electric Prunes,
Barbara Tucker,
Schoolly D,
Matthew Halsall,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Robert Hood,
Fatback Band,
Black Pus,
Ultra Naté,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Iggy Pop,
The Associates,
Brothers Johnson,
Mandrill,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Real Kids,
Wally Richardson,
Quadrant,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Country Joe & The Fish,
The Skatalites,
Negative Approach,
Donny Hathaway,
Pere Ubu,
Monolake,
Royal Trux,
Quando Quango,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Eli Mardock,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Scratch Acid,
Dead Boys,
Minnie Riperton,
Dorothy Ashby,
Vainqueur,
The Techniques,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Whodini,
Joensuu 1685,
Harry Pussy,
Porter Ricks,
The Selecter,
Throbbing Gristle,
Alison Limerick,
Babytalk,
John Coltrane,
Lightning Bolt,
Kaleidoscope,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Dave Gahan,
The Alarm Clocks,
Kenny Larkin,
Nik Kershaw,
The Sonics,
Sight & Sound, Sight & Sound, Sight & Sound, Sight & Sound.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.